Friday, August 29, 2008

What can I say. I'm blown away with McCain's choice for Vice President. Finally, someone with real credentials for "change". Saraha sure shook up Alaska state government. She is a true reformer, a breath of fresh air. She even took a salary cut (as mayor) and sold the private jet (as govenor).

She comes from working class roots.

She's the only one of the four with executive experience. Let's face it, the only thing that Obama, Biden, and McCain have lead is a legislative staff. Palin is leading an entire state government.

Yea, her only foreign affairs experience may be fishing in Canada, but she's applying for the "on the job training" position, not the presidency.

Wednesday, August 27, 2008

When I "rededicated" my life to blogging, I intended to make many small updates. One or two a week, but I'm a "backslider". By my reckoning, I'm at least 5 blog entries behind. So, here's what's been happening.

1. Went to a Sheryl Crow concert at the Woodlands on Thursday, August 14th. I guess Sheryl ain't such a big star. She couldn't sell out the Woodlands, and the local paper didn't even cover the concert. But, Brenda and I still had a good time.

2. Didn't follow through with my Chipotle plans. See below.

3. Started read "The Shack" by William P. Young.

4. Went on two Red Cross Disaster Action Team (DAT) runs. The first one was late Saturday night, August 23rd. Got the call at 10:00pm. Got back home around 3:30am. It was an apartment fire that totally destroyed two units and affected six other units with smoke and water. I help with Marien and Cesar. Young couple of 18 and 22. Marien is pregnant with her first child, Alex, due on August 30th. Theirs was one of the destroyed apartments. They lost everything except each other.

The second call was on Sunday, August 24th, again an apartment fire with two destroyed apartments and six affected apartments. I helped Derrick and Cheyrel. Another young couple, with a newborn. Their son, Derrick the third, was born on August 8th, 2008. Luckily, their apartment only had some smoke. They didn't lose their possesions, but they needed a place to stay, so we helped them with a hotel room.

5. On Monday, Brenda started her second year of teaching third grade, but this time, it's in Spanish.

Tuesday, August 12, 2008

Here in Texas, they have a "tax free" weekend just before school. It's meant to help out with the purchases for back to school supplies, uniforms, etc. Well, Chipotle (my most favorite fast food restaurant EVER, which my wife hates) is having a tie-in promotion for the tax free weekend. If you eat there today or tomorrow and bring the receipt back during tax free weekend, they will give you a free meal. That gave me the idea that I'd eat there for lunch today and tomorrow and use the receipts to take a couple of the areas homeless to lunch this weekend.

Like I said, I love Chipotle and I eat there all the time. Whenever I eat there, I try to order and talk to the workers in Spanish. I always give them a big smile, tell them "Tenga buen dia.", "Muchas gracia.", etc. Today, the workers had on a sticker that said "Building a better world one burrito at a time." It's the first time I've seen them wearing the stickers. When I get to the check out, one of the workers that handled my order, came to the checkout, pulled the sticker off of her shirt, and put it on my order. The cashier then said that my order was free! It blew my socks off. I'd come here to get a receipt for the weekend, and my weekend came early. But, will this receipt work for a free meal this weekend?

I guess I'll have to follow through with this "good" deed and take a couple of the homeless here in Sharpstown to Chipotle this weekend. It's God ordained.

Wednesday, August 6, 2008

I've started reading the book unchristian by David Kinnaman and Gabe Lyons. Buy the book.

Here's a quote from page 26.

"One outsider put it this way: 'Most people I meet assume that Christian means very conservative, entrenched in their thinking, antigay, antichoice, angry, violent, illogical, empire builders; they want to convert everyone, and they generally cannot live peacefully with anyone who doesn't believe what they believe.'" Emphasis added.Didn't Paul (Romans 12:18) tell us to live at peace with everyone? Yet, our reputation is that we can't get along with anyone! How did the followers of the "friend of sinners", become the "haters of sinners"? Contrast the above quote with what James had to say in his letter. "But the wisdom that comes from heaven is first of all pure; then peace-loving, considerate, submissive, full of mercy and good fruit, impartial and sincere. Peacemakers who sow in peace raise a harvest of righteousness." (James 3:17-18) I guess we aren't very wise.

Back on the 23rd of July I wrote a post about the need for congregations to create and adopt Fundamental Principles of Behavior and Service. Basically, I'm getting fed up with unChrist like behavior from Christians. Our churches take it for granted that once someone becomes a Christian, they will start to behave in a Christ like manner. That just isn't the case, especially from those of us that were raised in the church. It's time we start working on our behavior. Let's stop "empire building" and start serving in love.

So far, with mouse traps, I've killed three of the little guys here at the office. War was declared when one of them ate a hole in a cup of water that I'd left on my desk. It made quite a mess. I've been content to set out traps as I leave in the evening and with great satisfaction throwing away the dead mice the next morning. Well today it got much more personal. Mr. Mouse ran across the hall and into a closet. The bottom of the closet was filled with boxes. Jeff started removing the boxes while I stood guard. When the last of the boxes was about to be removed, Mr. Mouse came charging out. His critical mistake was that he ran straight at me, so I stomped the little bugger to death. Four down, more to go. Edouard didn't provide much excitement, but Mr. Mouse did.

Well, I'm feeling let down. At least here in the Sharpstown area of Houston, Edouard has not caused any trouble. That's a good thing, but still I kind of wish there would have been some spectacular events. Like rain coming down in buckets or the wind blowing the rain sideways. Something to ooh and ahh about. For us, it was just a much needed rain.

Sunday, August 3, 2008

We're back. Too bad. Manuel Antonio is a beautiful place. We played on the beach, lounged by the pool, walked in the rain forest . . . It was too short a time. La pura vida, it's a nice way to live.

This is the beach we enjoyed.

It was a little rocky here, but it sure made for a wonderful view.

The four hour bus ride from San Jose to Manuel Antonio was an adventure. The road was narrow, the bridges were scary, the shear 1,000 foot drop offs were frightening, but it was cheap, only $5.00 and we lived!